Safety garment

ABSTRACT

A safety garment for human wear has a flat first sheet of fabric generally symmetrical about a center line. The first sheet includes a continuous, approximately rectangular, central area merging with an upper bib portion and merging with a pair of lower individual leg portions. There is a neck loop at the top of the upwardly converging bib portion, and there are several casings extending across the first sheet and the leg portions approximately normal to the center line and open near the margins of the first sheet to receive curved spring clasps to shape the sheet approximately to fit a wearer. There is a smaller, second sheet of fabric, also symmetrical about the center line, secured to the bib portion along three sides to define a pocket with an open top. The pocket can be inverted to receive the remainder of the garment when it is folded and inserted therein.

United States Patent 1 Johnson 1 Nov. 27, 1973 SAFETY GARMENT [76] Inventor: Leonard Gregory Johnson, San

Rafael, Calif.

[22] Filed: Feb. 9, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 224,830

3,499,416 3/1970 Thorsheim... 2/1 X 1,885,422 1 1/1932 Fautrad 2/74 3,047,875 8/1962 Patterson 2/52 X 1,354,352 9/1920 Stookey.... 2/51 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 271,440 1913 Great Britain 2/52 293,208 7/1928 Great Britain 2/52 Primary Examiner-H. Hampton Hunter Att0rneyMarcus Lothrop et a1.

[57] ABSTRACT A safety garment for human wear has a flat first sheet of fabric generally symmetrical about a center line. The first sheet includes a continuous, approximately rectangular, central area merging with an upper bib portion and merging with a pair of lower individual leg portions. There is a neck loop at the top of the upwardly converging bib portion, and there are several casings extending across the first sheet and the leg portions approximately normal to the center line and open near the margins of the first sheet to receive curved spring clasps to shape the sheet approximately to fit a wearer. There is a smaller, second sheet of fabric, also symmetrical about the center line, secured to the bib portion along three sides to define a pocket with an open top. The pocket can be inverted to receive the remainder of the garment when it is folded and inserted therein.

1 Claim, 8 Drawing Figures Patented Nov. 27, 1973 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Nov. 27, 1973 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG...2

FIGMQ Patented Nov. 27, 1973 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 SAFETY GARMENT There are many occasions when a person is called upon to engage in an exposed, hazardous activity, often when the visibility is poor and sometimes when he is not dressed for the event. As an example, a welldressed person driving on a freeway at night may be suddenly called upon to change a tire. He must descend to and work on the roadway subject to traffic hazards. He may be very hard to see, being, perhaps, in dark dress or business clothes. He is subject to traffic hazards and to becoming dirty and so spoiling his attire and general appearance.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a compact safety garment which can be temporarily donned by a person under special circumstances not only to protect his normal clothing but likewise to render his person considerably more visible than otherwise would be the case, the garment being as readily doffed when the wearer is through with it.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a safety garment which can readily be folded into a compact package easily stowed in a vehicle or other storage space.

A further object of the invention is to provide a safety garment which can very quickly be donned and doffed without the necessity of fumbling with buttons, hooks, slide fasteners and the like.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a safety garment that is generally an improvement in its field.

Other objects, together with the foregoing, are attained in the embodiment of the invention described in the accompanying description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of the obverse side of the garment as it appears when spread out flat;

FIG. 2 is an elevation of the reverse side of the flat garment;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of a spring clasp utilized with the garment;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a safety clasp used with the garment FIG. 5 is an elevation of the obverse side of the garment as it appears when partially folded ready for stowage;

FIG. 6 is an elevation of the garment when folded and stowed;

FIG. 7 is a plan of an extended, modified garment; and

FIG. 8 is a rear elevation of the modified garment.

The safety garment pursuant to the invention is primarily arranged for human use and can be embodied in a large number of different forms, each particularly sized and adapted for some special usage, but it is preferred that the garment be considered for general wear and use as disclosed herein. In this instance the garment is sized for temporary wear by most people and is particularly arranged for use in and about an automobile for emergency repairs and the like.

The garment is conveniently made of a fabric such as a plastic or of a textile material such as woven cloth having various characteristics. In some instances the fabric need only be a reasonably protective item for the wearers normal clothing, and in other instances can be treated to-be fire retardant and to have other special attributes. The garment includes a flat, first sheet 6 of fabric or the like which can in practice be made up of a number of individual pieces sewed or otherwise secured together, but presently is considered as a unitary element. The first sheet 6 is preferably generally symmetrical about an upright center line 7 and has a continuous, approximately rectangular central area 8 having a pair of slightly downwardly and inwardly tapered side edges 9 and 11. The central area is arbitrarily bounded at an upper margin by a line of stitching 12 and at a lower margin by a line of stitching 13. The lines of stitching 12 and 13 are generally normal to the center line 7 and extend transversely or crosswise of the flat garment.

Merging with the upper portion of the central area 8 is an upper bib portion 14 having upwardly and inwardly roundedor tapered side edges 16 and 17 and a transverse, upper margin 18. A neck loop 19 at its ends is secured to the bib portion by stitching. The loop is a relatively narrow, stitched strap capable of encircling the user's neck and head with ease.

. Adjacent its lower boundary the central area 8 merges with a pair of lower, individual, leg portions 20 and 21 respectively. These generally extend downwardly from the line of stitching 13 and are symmetrical about the center line 7. Each leg portion extends from near the center line outwardly and is bounded by an inner edge 22, a lower edge 23 and an outer edge 24, the latter being a virtual continuation of the edge 9 or 11 respectively.

As shown in FIG. 1, both leg portions 20 and 21 at their upper ends are pieced so that their inner edges 22 extend out of the general plane of the sheet and are disposed so that when the garment is wom there is adequate protection for the wearers clothes.

At several locations on the first sheet of fabric, there are provided various casings extending transversely of the fabric; that is, normal to the center line 7 thereof. For example, the line of stitching 12 is supplemented by a parallel line of stitching 26 defining a casing 27 therebetween. The casing is open to the obverse side of the garment through a hole 28 near one edge of the fabric. Similarly, the line of stitching 13 is supplemented by a .line of stitching 29. This may extend entirely across the garment to provide one casing or may be interrupted near the center portion thereof to provide a pair of aligned casings 30, each of which has an opening 31 near the adjacent edge, such as 24, of the fabric. Quite similarly, and near the bottom edges 23 of the leg portions 20 and 21, there are provided lines of stitching 32 and 33 forming casings 34, each of which is provided with an opening 36. For an average user, the casing 27 extends approximately around the users chest, the casings 30 extend around the upper thighs of the user, and the casings 34 extend approximately around the ankles of the user.

For ordinary stowage, the garment is compacted by being folded from both edges toward the center line to afford a relatively long strip of about the width of the upper portion of the bib. The leg portions are then folded upwardly upon each other and are refolded until the garment is approximately in the relationship shown in FIG. 5. A further upward fold is then made substantially to reduce the garment to one-half the area seen in FIG. 5 and to approximate the shape and outline of a square or rectangle. The garment can be stowed in that situation, without more.

Preferably, in accordance with the invention, I provide permanently available means for enclosing the folded garment. For that reason there is afforded a second, flat sheet of fabric 41 conforming and registering approximately to the bib portion of the first sheet. The second sheet is secured thereto by edge stitching and further is secured thereto by a line of stitching 42. This establishes a substantially rectangular, although somewhat rounded, configuration and forms an open top pocket between the two registeed sheets 6 and 41 by union of the two sheets on three sides only. The upper edge 18 or margin is unattached, and an extended flap 43 secured on the second sheet assists the edge 18 in defining an opening to the pocket so formed. With this arrangement, when the garment is folded into its approximately square or rectangular outline it is about the shape of the pocket and is slightly smaller. When the pocket is turned inside out the garment is simultaneously folded into and contained therein. The flap 43 can then be brought over the pocket opening and secured in closed position by an appropriate snap fastener 44. The neck band 19 may be left outside or may be tucked in just before the parcel is closed.

Particularly to hold the unfolded garment in appropriate relationship to the body of a user, there are usually carried, conveniently in the pocket, a number of partially or entirely collapsed spring clasps 51. These are bands of metal or plastic having springy character istics and have smooth or inturned ends 52 to afford rounded terminals. Some of the clasps 51 are of a size to circumscribe the ankles of the user, one of them is effective to go at least most of the way around the waist of a user (or two to go around the thighs of a user), and another is appropriate to go at least partially around the chest of a user.

When the garment is to be utilized, it is made available by opening and turning the pocket inside out, whereupon the folded garment can be withdrawn or shaken free. The spring clasps are then inserted into their appropriate casings, such as 27, 30 and 34, by being introduced through the openings, suchas 28, 31 and 36. The garment then takes on a three-dimensional characteristic roughly the shape of the related positions of the users body. The user then puts the neck loop 19 over his head and clips the spring clasps around his chest, his waist or thighs and around both ankles. He is then largely covered, certainly on the front and side and some rear areas so that his clothes are protected.

The garment may extend more or less completely around him, depending upon the size and shape of the garment and of the user, but it is normally sufficient that the front and some of the sides of the user are covered. The garment is quickly snapped into position without the necessity of fumbling with buttons, slide fasteners, hooks or the like. When the user is through with the garment, he can simply pull it off forcibly, the spring clasps yielding and permitting the garment to be doffed. The spring clasps are then pulled out of their various casings and the garment can be folded and stowed in package form, as before, with the spring clasps being curled, if necessary, and put into the pocket.

Since the garment may be used at night or under conditions of poor visibility, the whole garment can be made entirely of a highly visible material, such as a brightly colored, fluorescent material. However, it is normally deemed sufficient to provide a garment of non-luminous material but with a wide band 56 of fluorescent or bright-colored material across the chest, a similar band 57 around the waist, and comparable piping 58 around the edges of the garment. For efficiency the fluorescent band 57 can be held in place by the line of stitching 26, for example, and the piping 58 can be held on by the same stitching 59 which binds the edges of the garment. The addition of the bright-colored or fluorescent strips or trim doesnot greatly increase the thickness of the material. Even with additional stripes and trim the garment can still easily be folded into the pocket formed by the bib and the second sheet.

A somewhat simplified form of garment is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. In this instance the garment is generally similar to the one previously described but with some variations. Instead of terminating with a narrow neck loop 19, the front 61 of the garment, when considered as a flat sheet, is extended to form a back panel 62 separated from the front by an elongated head opening 63 leaving shoulder straps 64.

This garment is donned by. being arranged with the straps 64 on the users shoulders and his head extending through the opening 63. The rear panel 62 can simply hang freely but it is preferred to tuck it between the users body and the waist spring clasp 51. This afiords close back coverage and keeps the panel from flapping. Perhaps more importantly, the panel can be tucked in after it has been pulled down sufficiently to lift the front of the garment to a sufficient height to be properly and comfortably positioned for the users height. The elongation of the opening 63 is sufficient to allow for considerable adjustment in this manner and the waist clasp 51 is effective to hold the tucked in panel in the position it is put in by the user. A height adjustment is thus afforded as well as fuller coverage. The garment is folded as before and the rear panel is similarly folded therewith.

What is claimed is:

1. A safety garment for human wear comprising a first sheet of fabric symmetrical about a center line and including a continuous, approximately rectangular, central area merging with an upper bib portion having an upper edge and upwardly converging sides, said bib portion merging with a pair of lower individual leg portions; means secured to said upper edge of said bib portion and adapted to go around the users neck and defining a passage through which the users head may go; means defining a plurality of casings extending across said first sheet normal to said center line and in the vicinity of the top of said central area and of the bottom of said central area; bands of springy material in said casings; and a second sheet of fabric symmetrical about said center line and including an approximately rectangular portion secured to said bib portion on three sides of said second sheet but left free along said upper edge along the fourth side of said second sheet to define a pocket with an opening approximately coterminous with said passage, said pocket being of a capacity to receive the remainder of said garment when folded and inserted therein through said opening. 

1. A safety garment for human wear comprising a first sheet of fabric symmetrical about a center line and including a continuous, approximately rectangular, central area merging with an upper bib portion having an upper edge and upwardly converging sides, said bib portion merging with a pair of lower individual leg portions; means secured to said upper edge of said bib portion and adapted to go around the user''s neck and defining a passage through which the user''s head may go; means defining a plurality of casings extending across said first sheet normal to said center line and in the vicinity of the top of said central area and of the bottom of said central area; bands of springy material in said casings; and a second sheet of fabric symmetrical about said center line and including an approximately rectangular portion secured to said bib portion on three sides of said second sheet but left free along said upper edge along the fourth side of said second sheet to define a pocket with an opening approximately coterminous with said passage, said pocket being of a capacity to receive the remainder of said garment when folded and inserted therein through said opening. 